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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · kick · wave · bound · pitch · snap

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. kick — in football
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wave — with your hand

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com